Colorado

Colorado Rethinks Marijuana Legalization

colorado-marijuanaNew reports out of Colorado indicate that legal marijuana  is posing real risks to the safety of young people. As Colorado rethinks marijuana, the rest of the nation should watch carefully this failing experiment.

Healthcare officials representing three hospitals in Pueblo, Colorado, issued a statement on April 27 in support of a ballot measure that would end Marijuana commercialization in the city and county of Pueblo. “We continue to see firsthand the increased patient harm caused by retail marijuana, and we want the Pueblo community to understand that the commercialization of marijuana is a significant public health and safety issue,” said Mike Baxter, president and CEO of Parkview Medical Center.

Among their concerns are  a 51 percent increase in number of children under 18 being treated in Parkview Medical Center emergency rooms.  Furthermore, of newborn babies at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital, drug tested due to suspected prenatal exposure, nearly half tested positive for marijuana.

In more bad news for the pot promoters, the Denver school system has produced a video to show how marijuana tax revenues are not providing education dollars. This is a common rationale used by the industry to garner support for legal weed.

Earlier this month, the Denver Post published an opinion piece by a Colorado activist which raises the issue of the high potency levels of pot, and the widespread use of marijuana by teenagers in the state.  Marijuana above 15% potency is considered a hard drug in the Netherlands, yet Colorado’s pot is 17% and beyond. Describing the risk of marijuana to the developing brains of young people, the writer then goes into the troubling statistics:

“… especially of concern given than 36.9 percent of Colorado high school students say they have tried marijuana, according to the 2013 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. One out of five students reported using it in the past 30 days.

In Denver, where there’s been the most marijuana commercialization, teen use over the previous month was disturbingly much higher, at 26.6 percent, with almost half of students saying they have tried marijuana.”

A bill to ban marijuana edibles which appeal to young children, such as gummy bears, is now being considered in the Colorado state legislature. It just passed the House with an overwhelming majority and is heading to the senate.

Smart Colorado, a citizen action group concerned about marijuana’s impact on youth, health and safety says that 165 cities and counties have banned marijuana sales, and yet 61% of high school seniors have already tried marijuana.

It is time to end the unwise Colorado experiment which is endangering the lives and futures of the most vulnerable.

Oregon

Tax Revenue Claims Appear to be Hollow in Oregon

by Randy Philbrick, Director, SAM Oregon, Fighting Back Against Big Marijuana

“Oregon is reaping the reward with massive tax revenue ”

Yet another claim by legalizers that can’t be proven. Recreational sales started in October of last year, yet the tax only kicked in this past January. That’s three months of tax-free drug sales. In the first month of taxation, Oregon pulled in $3.5 million in tax revenue. In the February, the second month, it dropped to $3.3 for a two-month total of $6.8 million. I know what you’re thinking, “Man that’s great. That’s a lot of money”. Is it really!?  Yes, standing alone that amount seems like a lot of money. But when you put it next to the state’s operating budget of $60 billion , the measly $6.8 million now looks like our planet sitting next to Jupiter. If that trend stayed all year that would be $40 million for the year. Again, planet earth sitting next to Jupiter.

I can also tell you that trend won’t stay all year. As of this month, the tax on marijuana dropped from 25% to 17%. That’s a 32% reduction in the tax revenue. Continue reading Tax Revenue Claims Appear to be Hollow in Oregon →

Testimonies

Nug Nation Uses Sick Humor to Promote Marijuana

A parent submitted this video and her response yesterday.  Shocking, this video probably serves as a warning to monitor your child’s computer access and time.  

I caught my youngest son watching this marijuana cartoon this morning  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPoHSdLG3JA
These people are clearly promoting smoking marijuana to children and I think it sets a dangerous precedent.

My oldest son has been in treatment for marijuana dependency twice already and I’m at my wits end with this drug.
Marijuana is illegal, how are they able to glorify it on Youtube like this?

CS, Nebraska

Drug Policy

Letter to Prime Minister Addresses Second-Hand Marijuana Smoke

This testimony was submitted by SM in British Columbia.  Photo above is from the Facebook page of Sunset Beach Vancouver. It was from the  420 event in Vancouver, BC, Canada, on April 20, 2016.

Dear Prime Minister,

Proud to serve as Minister of Youth, I hope you will take my suggestions into consideration. I stopped going for walks by the beach with my kids because of the pot smell and second-hand exposure. At the moment we have law prohibiting smoking in the public areas. Once I asked a park ranger why he does not fine a pot consumer on the beach. He answered to me that this pot consumer does it for a medical reason. What does it matter if it is for a medical reason or not? I don’t want to be exposed to the second-hand smoke! It is also questionable who and how you can get permit for medical marijuana use.

Pot should be treated in public area the same way liquor consumption is, but even more strictly because of second-hand exposure. I want to point out the difference between smoking a pot cigarette versus cigarette and alcohol use. You can drive a car if you smoke cigarettes without any safety issue to the traffic, but not if you are under influence of the pot or alcohol.  Second-hand exposure to the pot smoke is far more dangerous than cigarette exposure because it has an influence on the brain. Young peoples brain under development is specially vulnerable to the pot second-hand pot exposure!

Vancouverparkboardon421
The Vancouver Park Board published this photo on April 21, 2016. It was one of many which were used to described the massive cleanup required the next day.  The photo from Vancouver on April 20, 2016 shows the serious mass of second-hand smoke.

How is the government is going to control selling of cookies or any other food product with pot in its ingredients? Are our kids going to be safe or can any pot candy manufacturer manipulate them? 

What about the smell?  What about second-hand smoke exposure?  What about impaired driving?  What if I have a neighbor who consumes pot and I can’t open my window? Pot users must be kept away from public.  If it’s medical, make it be used in designated clinics where they can consume with no influence and exposure to the public. This all needs to be regulated by law.

How much is it going to cost this government to care for a stoned generation? Are we going to be allowed to go to work stoned?

We took away cigarettes from our streets but now we allow pot. Pot needs to be regulated by a law far stricter than cigarettes, somewhere in between alcohol use and drug use. 

Where’s the consideration for the public safety?

Bursting the Bubble of Marijuana Hype